1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fluorescent dye-silane hybrid resin manufactured by polycondensing alkoxysilane bonded with a fluorescent dye with organo-silane, by which the aggregation of a fluorescent dye is prevented, which has excellent thermostability, photostability, fluorescence characteristics, and processibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fluorescent dye has been variously and widely used in the fields of light wavelength converters, lasers, color filters, solar cells, LED devices, biomedics, special paints, etc. Generally, a fluorescent dye has a high absorption coefficient, wide absorption and emission spectra, and high quantum efficiency, compared to inorganic phosphor. Further, a fluorescent dye is advantageous in that it has high biochemical affinity and it is inexpensive. However, a fluorescent dye is problematic in that its thermostability and photostability are low compared to those of inorganic phosphor and in that, as its concentration increases, it aggregates or agglomerates due to its congenital properties, thus deteriorating dispersion stability. When a fluorescent dye aggregates or agglomerates, its fluorescence strength decreases, its color characteristics changes, and its optical transmittance decreases. Such problems greatly occur when a fluorescent dye is dispersed in an inorganic structure or a polymer resin such as an epoxy resin, a silicon resin or the like compared to when it is dispersed in a liquid solvent. Recently, attempts to disperse a fluorescent dye in a polymer resin and to put it to practical use have been widely conducted in academic circles and industries. Therefore, attempts to solve the above problem of aggregation of a fluorescent dye in a resin and to increase thermostability and photostability are required. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,041,160 and 3,818,371 disclose a method of preventing the aggregation of a fluorescent dye and improving the dispersibility of a fluorescent dye by dispersing a fluorescent dye in a matrix using an additive or dispersant. However, when an additive or dispersant is used, there is a problem in that the stability and optical characteristics of a fluorescent dye deteriorate at the time of temperature increase. Meanwhile, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-0074471 discloses a fluorescent dye having a photocrosslinkable structure, and Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-0031987 discloses a method of improving the stability of a fluorescent dye by introducing a cyclic structure as a partial structure of the fluorescent dye. However, since a new dye structure must be introduced in order to adjust the structure of a dye, various previously-developed dyes cannot be used.